Fabulous colors, groovin’ music, wild imagination, and dancing fingers-this video has everything we love here at The Delicate Pen! This is exquisitely directed and choreographed! It makes me want to scrub off the days paints and inks and paint my nails red for my next calligraphy demonstration! What color will you pick!?!?

There is a medieval instructional book on calligraphy that says something like: “You will have to learn to be very creative with your mistakes or else you will spend a lot of time recopying and starting over!” Remember, they were copying Bibles by hand! I also once attended a seminar on artists’ errors and how the artist then turned them into something wonderfully creative. The end result was usually more spectacular than the original plan. A “mistake” can often be serendipitous. Since calligraphy is a very human art, there are inevitable errors while working, especially in a large piece such as a Ketubah, seating scroll, or poem. Sometimes, indeed, I just have to begin anew, but other times I can solve the problem another way and create something unexpectedly beautiful!

My little seven year old niece sent me her plan for the day today! Not only do I think it is a wonderful plan, but I love how the little spelling “revision” became an opportunity for a star! The star then became a repeated element! (There do seem to be a couple more “opportunities,” but we shall overlook them for the moment!)

I was asked by the Lower Eastside Girls Club, to join in the festivities of the Angel Alliance Fall Benefit, which was held on Monday. I set up my inks and pens and lettered names or dates or short quotes on bookmarks and notecards in exchange for donations to the club. I also donated a crystal box to the raffle. (If you won, let me know who you are!) I had no knowledge of the organization until I was asked to join other artists for the evening, but I loved the group of people, learning of their mentoring program and their mission, as well. The Girls Club is a place “where girls 8-23 can grow, learn, have fun and develop confidence in themselves and their ability to make a difference in the world,” their website states. Photographer Aaron Lee Fineman is kindly letting me share some photos he took of the evening.

I was one of several artist donating services for the Angel Alliance Fall Benefit for the Lower Eastside Girls Club. I created offhand bookmarks and greeting cards.

A few weeks ago, I featured the beautiful wedding of a Las Vegas couple, Tawnya and Kiel, who got married in grand style at a mansion. Last week, I introduced you to Debra and Jack, also from Las Vegas. They planned a completely different affair, high above the Las Vegas Strip lights. Upon arrival, each guest received a butterfly that they released at the conclusion of the ceremony. Guests whispered a wish to their butterfly as it gently spread its wings and flew away, with the belief that it would wing off to their Master to deliver the wish.

The bride is delighted as the ring bearer’s butterfly alights on her bouquet.

The Delicate Pen provided the invitations and place cards. I was pleased that the bride allowed me to write all the names on an angle, one of my favorite ways to write.

The Delicate Pen also designed a Guest Scroll for guests to sign.

FOOTNOTE:

I was in Las Vegas for the Licensing Show shortly after both Vegas weddings, so I invited Tawnya and Debra to dinner at the Vintner Grill so that I could spend a little quality time with two Delicate Pen brides and introduce them to each other. We dined inside and then “desserted” outside. A good time was had by all!